Phoenix boy, 5, pulled from community pool hospitalized

A 5-year-old boy nearly drowned at a central Phoenix community pool when he slipped under water, undetected by adults nearby, authorities said.

Emergency crews responded to a neighborhood near Southern and 27th avenues around 8:30 p.m. and found the boy crying when they arrived, said Capt. Tony Mure of the Phoenix Fire Department.

Mure said a person performed CPR on the boy before they got to the scene, and it was undetermined how long the child was under. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center for further treatment; his identity and condition were not immediately available.

Authorities said there were adults and other children in the pool when the child went under. It marked at least the third water incident involving children that Phoenix Fire has responded to in the last seven days.

“Every one of these drownings is preventable,” Mure said. He said the best protection against child drownings is adult supervision.

“You see a common pattern,” Mure said. “One pattern is people don’t pay attention.”